Graduate Plan of Study

Preparing the Plan of Study

All degree seeking graduate students are required to submit an electronic plan of study (EPOS) as soon as possible in their program. This EPOS serves as a contract between the student, their advisory committee, and the Graduate School. It lists the courses that the student expects to take for the degree program, any concentration(s) the student is pursuing, the faculty members who will mentor them throughout their study and other key degree-related items.

The EPOS must be submitted and receive all departmental signatures prior to the first day of classes of the session of anticipated graduation. Departmental signatures include the department's Plan of Study Coordinator, the Head of the Graduate Program (or that person's designee), and each member of the advisory committee. The Graduate School recommends that students submit their plan at least a month in advance of the start of the session of expected graduation to ensure sufficient time for departmental review. For more information, See Section X of the University Catalog (Purdue University, 2017).

Procedure

Follow the guidelines and instructions to prepare the Electronic Plan of Study (Form 6).

Your plan of study will be reviewed by the Director of the graduate engineering program to ensure that it meets all requirements. A copy will be kept in your file.

Filing a Form 6

Relevant items appearing on the Plan of Study (Graduate School Form 6) are explained below for your reference. A sample plan of study is included in the MSE guidelines (Appendix D).

The "PUID No." appearing on the form is a 10-digit Purdue University Identifier Number assigned to each graduate student.

The department code is "CME" and the degree code is "MSE".

The thesis or non-thesis option box should be checked.

The space for indicating the research area is left blank in most cases.

The area of specialization (concentration) should be one of the following: Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. The AOS code should be left blank.

The "Area" label for a course is either "P” if the course is a primary-area course, or "R" if it is a related-area course. The primary area courses are the core courses in your area of specialization (concentration). All other courses are the related area courses.

The title of a special topic course must start with "TPCS:" followed by the title of the course.

The column labeled "Regular Regis." (i.e., "RR") is used to indicate whether a course was (or is to be) taken at IPFW. Use the label “RR” for this type of courses.

The column labeled "Other or Transfer From +" is reserved for courses that are transferred from another school. Use the label "TR" for this type of courses. Include the name of the school from which the course was transferred from.

Courses transferred from another school should be listed on the plan of study with the course numbers and titles that appear on the transcript from the school at which they were taken. Do not use the equivalent course number from a Purdue course. One copy of the catalog description of each course transferred should be submitted together with the plan of study.

The column labeled "Non-Degree Regis." is used to indicate courses that were taken while a student was in non-degree status and not officially admitted to a degree program. Use the label "NR" for this type of courses. No more than 12 credit hours taken in non-degree status may be used on a plan of study.

To use an undergraduate excess course on the plan of study, the course must be declared undergraduate excess on the transcript or, a letter from the school at which the course was taken must be supplied to verify that it was not used to satisfy a degree requirement. M.S. Research Thesis should not be listed on the plan of study.

To fill the columns: "Graduate Faculty Identifier" and "Advisor in Area of;" use this table.

Changing the Plan of Study

It is recognized that as a student’s program progresses there may arise conditions that make it desirable to change the plan of study. Indeed such changes, when based on sound academic reasons, are allowed. However, there are regulations to be observed for the change. Specifically:

According to the Graduate School rule, a course may not be removed from the plan of study once a grade of “D” or lower is received.

No changes to the plan of study are allowed after the Form 6 submission deadline during the semester before the student’s final semester.

Changes to a plan of study require the approval of the student’s advisory committee.

If the requirements of Department of Engineering for the Master’s degree program are modified, there is no need for students to revise their previously approved plans of study to conform to the new rules. All approved plans of study remain valid. Students have the option to change their plan of study to conform to the new rules, but are not required to do so.

To make changes to an approved plan of study, Graduate School Form 13 "Request for Change to the Plan of Study" has to be completed and filed with the Graduate School. This form is also used to request a change of major professor and/or other advisory committee members, or for a change of the area of specialization.

Transfer and Excess Course Credits

Transfer Credits

A maximum of 12 graduate-level credit hours earned at an accredited university may be applied toward the MSE degree and entered on the plan of study. All courses transferred must be graduate-level courses, must not have been used to meet the requirements for another degree, and must have been completed with a grade of "B" or better. Grades from transfer courses are not included in computing the grade point average.

Excess Course Credits

Up to 12 credit hours of graduate-level courses taken before a student was admitted to the graduate program may be applied toward the MSE degree and entered on the plan of study. Allowed courses include those taken:

As excess undergraduate-degree credit while at senior-year standing

In non-degree status

While seeking a degree in another department or school, if a request to transfer to engineering program was subsequently made

While seeking a degree in another department or school, if a request for a dual-degree status in engineering program was subsequently made.

Special Approval Requirements

Without exception, all transfer and excess course credits used on the plan of study must be approved by your advisory committee. The steps to follow in requesting approval to include such credits on the plan of study are:

Add the course to your plan of study.

If a transfer course is taken at another university, show a copy of the catalog description of the course to your advisory committee members and to the Director of the graduate program.

If you are transferring a course from another university, an original transcript showing the grade earned is required. A statement, from an official at the university where the course was taken, certifying that the course was not used to fulfill the requirements for any other degree may also be required.